Ghanaians are denouncing as criminal the 63-year-old priest who wed a 13-year-old girl in a customary ceremony outside of Accra.
After marrying a 13-year-old girl, a traditional Ghanaian priest has caused a national uproar and calls for his arrest.
In a customary ceremony on Saturday, the girl was married by the 63-year-old priest Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, popularly known as Gborbu Wulomo, in the vicinity of the capital Accra.
Soon after the marriage, the girl and her mother were placed under police protection while the attorney general of Ghana launched an investigation.
According to a statement from the attorney general’s office, “the allegations, if proven, constitute a criminal offence for which all persons involved must face prosecution.”
The legal minimum age of marriage in Ghana is eighteen.
The child is said to be 13 by police and officials, but she is reported to be 16 by traditional authority.
The priest’s representative defended his behavior by stating that marriage was not about having sex.
He stated that the girl would not be required to carry out marital responsibilities until she attained the legal age of consent, which is 16 in Ghana, without disclosing her age.
“This isn’t a ceremony for marriage. It bears no sexual connotations. The priest already has three traditional wives. Helping the priest with his spiritual responsibilities is part of his regular job, spokeswoman Mankralo Shwonotalor told the AFP news agency over the phone.
He added that the girl was still enrolled in school and that no rights had been violated.
Nonetheless, outrage from the public over the customary event grew.
The marriage was unlawful, according to gender campaigner and former minister Nana Oye Bampoe Addo.
She told AFP, “The state must act immediately,” claiming that the custom was against Ghanaian law and the constitution.
“What has just happened is a crime and unlawful.”
SOURCE: TRTWORLD
